At present, I weigh 20 stone 7 pounds. I have a back problem that has left me bed bound for some time, and I am fed up.  I have had back problems for years, but my fitness and specific exercises for my back have kept the problems in check. 

As I said, I have never been skinny. I am of healthy farming stock and was built for stamina!  But, I have always been fit - until now. 

Now I am totally unfit, I am fed up, depressed, and ill.  I need to do something about this – and by sharing my experiences, I hope I can inspire someone else to take up the Fat and Fit challenge! 

It is my opinion that being fit is something larger people should aspire to – as well as all the obvious health benefits, it gives us the opportunity to stick two fingers up to the world that sees us as lard-ass couch potatoes chomping on the chips!

Fitness is measured in a number of ways, and many leading doctors, sport scientists and trainers have conflicting theories on measuring how fit a person is.  That being said, there is one common measurement that they all stick to.

The general rule of measuring how fit you are is how long it takes your heart to return to “normal” after a period of strenuous activity.  The quicker it returns to normal, the fitter you are.

It follows, therefore, that thin people might not be fit – indeed, just because a person is thinner than me, doesn’t mean they have less fat surrounding their heart, and doesn’t mean they are more able to walk up that hill without feeling like their chest is about to explode!

There is also a huge debate between being fit, and being healthy.  They should go hand in hand, but one measurement for “health” is waist circumference – meaning that someone with a 26 inch waist is healthier than me with my 46 inch waist. 

But, if my heart returns to normal more quickly than theirs after exercise, I am fitter… Work that one out!

Believe me, no matter how fit or healthy we feel; the simple fact that we carry pounds of “extra” fat on our bodies DOES put us at high risk of the horrors of diabetes, heart disease and a host of other nasties that if ignored, will creep up on us in some shape or form.

It is our duty to family, loved ones and ourselves to at least become fitter to be more able to cope with the strain our bodies are under. And who knows – it might be fun?

I’ll be writing a series of articles that follow my trials and tribulations of trying to get fit.  While I think of how to do it, where did I put those Viennese Whirls?